Cryogenetics
by Saya Moonshadow
Summary: At times, Ice can be an even more dangerous element than Fire. Kopaka just might not be able to hold off his own inner demons for much longer. Kopakacentric.
1. Remnants

**Mmmmmhm, yet another character study what-if kinda story. Don't ask me where this one came from, because I don't know either. I was re-watching **_**Rurouni Kenshin**_** when I came up with it, so I think it's safe to say that sometimes inspiration hits at weird times and in weird places.**

**Disclaimer: I am un-owning of Kopaka and all other related characters, as they and **_**Bionicle **_**are the rightful property of the LEGO Company. Anyone you don't recognize as canon most likely belongs to me, however.**

**Summary: At times, Ice can be an even more dangerous element than Fire. Kopaka just might not be able to hold off his own inner demons for much longer. Kopaka-centric.**

**Cryogenetics  
By: Saya Moonshadow**

Please come in and warm yourself, young one, I can see you are very cold. I have a fire going and ice fish cooking on a spit over it; doubtless you are hungry from your trek. But I suppose this will teach you to wonder around in a blizzard in the future, hm?

You demand my name. Fine. Not that it is really any of your business, but--

My name is Kopaka Nuva. I am the Toa Nuva of Ice, as you may or may not have guessed by now. Very few these days know of my existence, although I cannot say that I blame them. I have been in hiding for so many years now that even I have lost track of just how long it's been.

You are cold, my friend. That is natural. It is very cold here in the North, on this tiny little island that has been my home for...much time now. How you came across it, I do not know, but doubtless you shall enlighten me before you leave.

You were merely blown off course and stranded while sailing for an island called Metru Nui, you say. Funny...that used to be my home before I was exiled here...

No, do not be alarmed. It is...a natural reaction by now, this acting-up of my powers. I believe it shall someday consume me, and I only wish that day would hurry up. I promise I won't hurt you. And if I do, the exit is right behind you. Feel free to run at any time, although I would not recommend it. These Northern storms are cruel, especially so late into the winter season.

How did I become like this, you ask? Well now...that's a long story. Are you sure you want to know?

You do. Well...I suppose. We still have quite a while before this blizzard wears down, and we might as well pass the time somehow.

Before I begin, however, I need you to periodically get up and walk around. No, this is not some odd ritual I have developed out of my long solitude; it is for your own good, truly. Staying still for too long in this weather, even in a cave with a fire as we are, can be disastrous for those not of Ko-descent.

Good, you are pacing. Keep that up for a few minutes, and I shall try to begin my story.

I suppose I should start from the beginning, hm? After all, that's where everything starts, so it would be only logical...ahaha...hahahahaha...

No, I'm not laughing at you, I promise! Please forgive me if I have offended you.

Anyway...my story goes thus...

Sit down and listen, child, you've been pacing long enough. Thank you. Now...on with the story...

X x X

**AN: Has anyone noticed that there are relatively few fics featuring Kopaka as the main protagonist? I haven't found a new one in a good long while, and I haven't found one exploring his possible darker side, which is why I'm writing this thing here. As much as we'd all like to believe it, Kopaka's DEFINITELY not perfect, guys XD**

**And no, I did NOT spell the title wrong. You'll see later on.**

**Please review! It feeds my creative drive.**


	2. Pieces

**This fic here will probably get pretty psychological if it goes the way I'm planning. Meh, I've been watching too much **_**Elfen Lied**_**, _Rurouni Kenshin_, and **_**Higurashi no Naku Koro Ni Kai**_** again, and it's doing crap to my brain. What can I say, they're all awesome series.**

**...a lot of my stories****' titles start with the letter "C" D: I just noticed that. *sulks*  
**

**Disclaimer: I am un-owning of Kopaka and all other related characters, as they and **_**Bionicle **_**are the rightful property of the LEGO Company. Anyone you don't recognize as canon most likely belongs to me, however.**

**Summary: At times, Ice can be an even more dangerous element than Fire. Kopaka just might not be able to hold off his own inner demons for much longer. Kopaka-centric.**

**Cryogenetics  
By: Saya Moonshadow**

I had always been aware of a slight problem between me and my teammates. Perhaps problem is too strong a word to describe it, though. Hm...maybe difference would work better? Yes, difference. Let's use that word.

I had always been aware of a slight difference between me and my teammates, the other Toa Nuva. Each and every one of them was the perfect hero, open, happy, and friendly. Well...hm, I suppose Tahu wasn't exactly easy to befriend, at least not for me, but he was charismatic. Matoran looked up to him from all over. He was the perfect hero.

The others shared at least some of his charisma, but none possessed his leadership skills. If Tahu were to be killed or incapacitated, the team's efficiency would have dramatically decreased. Thus, it became almost second nature to cover him in any battle.

I suppose you could have called him my best friend at one point. He and I fought like the proverbial Muaka and Kavinika, but I was loyal to him and he to me. We were like brothers, a special bond having been forged between us early on. A...deep, mutual respect, I suppose you could say.

But it became apparent early on that, of the two of us, Tahu was the one who stood out. He had the hero-worship from the Matoran. He had the charisma to draw crowds. He was a devastating warrior who could defeat virtually any foe. He had the leadership skills that had saved us time and again from annihilation. And most of all, he ENJOYED the attention. Reveled in it, even.

I was the exact opposite, harsh and cold. I had almost no charisma or social skills, although I was said by the Ga-Matoran to be quite pleasing to the eyes; I had to work to earn what respect I got. Being flawless seemed to be the only way for me to gain any respect, but people seemed to like and even ADMIRE Tahu's flaws. Because of this, I almost resented him, but my first taste of anger towards Tahu came when he beat me in a spar.

Before then, we always tied when we sparred, something I worked to change. I wanted to beat him, to show him that just being strong wasn't nearly good enough. He had to have BRAINS to be a good leader, and thinking wasn't his strong point. Yes, he was definitely not stupid and could even be counted as smart, but he was reckless. He rushed into things without thinking.

And I always planned everything out.

This time, it didn't work out as I had planned.

After a mere twenty minutes into our third match of the day, I found myself on my back, with one of Tahu's swords pressing into my chest plate, the other at my neck. He grinned at me from above and said, "Too slow."

The anger that gripped me at this was sudden and foreign. Before I knew what was happening, I had lashed out with my own sword. Blood spattered the ground of the Great Temple's courtyard where we and the others were sparring as he bounded back, clutching his arm and yelling in pain...and, doubtless, anger.

Instantly, all other activity ceased.

"Kopaka, what the Karzahni was THAT?!" he shouted, trying to stem the flow from his arm. As I watched, unable to move, Gali rushed over, a healing glow already spreading over her hands.

Seeing her, I was able to function again through the shock and horror. "I-I'm sorry!"

"Argh!" Tahu snarled as Gali pressed her hand to the rip in his arm, healing it. I had really hurt him; perhaps severed something important. But I hadn't meant to!

The look Gali cast me horrified me further. She looked at me as if I were a monster, a mindless beast, a Rahi, anything but a Toa. "Come on, Tahu," she said, pulling at him, "let's go. That's enough sparring for one day."

She was trying to get him away from me. She was...afraid of me? But why? It was an accident!

"I'm fine, woman, leave me alone," Tahu snapped, yanking himself away from her and facing me again. His eyes were narrowed suspiciously and he frowned.

"What the heck was THAT?" he asked. "You could have killed me!"

I tried to control the tremors that racked my body at his words. He was right...I could have killed him. It was only good luck that he saw my sword coming and jerked back enough that the blade only got his arm and not his throat, as I had intended.

"I...forgive me, brother." I said, lowering my eyes. "It has been a long day, and I...I don't know what came over me. I'm sorry, truly."

Tahu stared at me for another minute and then, to my relief, he smiled a little. He was going to forgive me. He knew better than anyone what a bad day and a hot temper could do to a person, so it was only natural to forgive me for going through that kind of thing.

Despite this, I felt a thrill of resentment against him still. He was so PERFECT. I had just tried to kill him, and he was forgiving me for it. It was so...disgusting. He was too soft. Did he think this made him better than me or something? Was that why he was forgiving me so easily, because it made him feel like the bigger one here?

No, Tahu was my best friend, he wouldn't do that. And he spoke his mind at all times; any and all emotional displays would be the real deal. His forgiveness was genuine.

"It's OK--" he started, but Gali cut him off.

"No, it's NOT OK!" she cried, tugging on his arm. "He almost KILLED you!"

Tahu frowned at her. "You heard him, Gali, it was an accident. Right, Kopaka?"

I couldn't bring myself to speak. HAD it been an accident? For a split second there, I really HAD been aiming for his throat. I was only lucky his reflexes were so quick.

After a moment of them staring at me, I realized they were expecting an answer, and quickly nodded, still unable to speak.

"Maybe we've been out here a little too long," Pohatu spoke up, his spar with Gali having been interrupted when she had rushed over to heal Tahu's arm after I sliced it open. He smiled reassuringly. "Let's call it a day and come back tomorrow. I'm sure everything'll be better by then, and we can just go about our lives, alright?"

The others agreed with him and began to pack up the training equipment to put it back in the Great Temple. I attempted to go help Tahu pick up a large metal hammer that only Onua could lift without any assistance, but found my way blocked by Gali. This surprised me, as she and I had always been on excellent terms. She stared at me for a moment, then continued on her way to help Tahu, practically dragging him away from me.

What had I done? It was an accident, really, an accident!

I couldn't stay here. Without bothering to help clean up, I bolted for the exit, nearly running into the gate in my haste to get home.

X x X

Gali's new mistrust of me hurt. It hurt almost as bad as the fact that I had tried (and thankfully failed) to kill my best friend. She and I had always been on friendly terms, with never a fight between us. This couldn't necessarily be called a fight, but it bothered me nonetheless.

Her gaze had been so...untrusting. I wanted more than anything for her to trust me, and this had forced my goal back to a level I was sure was irreparable. Would she ever look at me again without suspicion? An even better question: would she ever allow me within five feet of my own best friend again?

I sat on my bed and cradled my head in my hands. I had never felt such pain before. I guess you could say that, yes, I harbored feelings for her, but...

A thought struck me suddenly, and I bolted upright.

Suppose the reason Gali was being so protective of Tahu was because she cared for him? Cared for him more than she cared for me? What if she felt romantically towards him? What if he felt the same way towards her?

There was a knock on my door, and Turaga Nuju came in, shaking snow off of himself. "Toa Kopaka?" he called, using regular speech instead of his usual flying-Rahi-talk. Ever since Matoro died, he had reverted to actual language, for which I was grateful. But right now, I couldn't be bothered with that.

"Toa Kopaka - AHHH!"

He dove out of the way just as my sword came hurtling at him from - from my own hand...? He stared up at me from the floor of my hut, fear in his eyes, panting hard. "T-Toa Kopaka...?" he breathed. My sword was embedded in the door, just behind where he had been standing not a minute earlier.

I staggered backwards; but when had I stood up? When had I grabbed my sword from its place in the holster on my back? I placed a hand to my head, feeling my temples pulse with the headache now setting in.

"I...I...forgive me!" Nuju still didn't look convinced, indeed, he edged further away, so I made something up as fast as I could process it. "I...I thought you were an intruder; I did not see you clearly and it has been a very trying day...forgive me, Turaga..."

Finally, a slight, yet shaky smile spread over his face and he used his staff to heave himself to his feet. "Well then," his laugh was just as shaky as his smile, "I suggest you get some rest. Perhaps that will make you less jumpy and thus less inclined to attack your guests."

I nodded, feeling almost numb.

That was the second time in one day I had attacked an innocent, and that fact weighed heavily on my mind. But for a moment, I had been unaware of anything but a cold, terrible anger seeping through me. It was just Turaga Nuju's bad luck that he had chanced upon me as I went through this anger, irrational as it was.

Ahaha...yes, it was irrational...hahahaha...

"Toa Kopaka?"

I snapped my gaze from my hands back to Turaga Nuju, who was still watching me nervously.

"What?" I hadn't meant to snap, and almost winced when it came out so sharply. After nearly being killed, the last thing he deserved was rudeness from me.

He flinched a bit, but said, "I heard that there was a slight, ah, mishap today during training. Would you care to discuss it with me?"

He had heard about how I almost killed Tahu? Mata Nui, who else knew? How many people knew?! I hadn't done anything wrong on purpose!

"IT WAS AN ACCIDENT!" I roared, and Nuju took a few steps back, looking frightened again, but by now, I hardly cared. My behavior was completely irrational at this point, although I couldn't be bothered to notice this. A few small, friendly words had set me off in ways that I had NEVER been set off before, and this only angered me more. I could barely think from the blinding rage pulsing through my brain.

"MATA NUI!" I shouted, flinging my shield into the wall and making a dent in it. "IT WAS A BLOODY ACCIDENT! I DIDN'T KILL HIM, I DIDN'T MEAN TO SLASH AT HIM--"

"No one said you meant to!" Turaga Nuju interjected, and I turned my gaze towards him. Whatever he saw there caused new terror to come into his eyes, although his face was still carefully controlled.

Seeing his fear, however much control he was trying to exert over it, brought me back to my senses somewhat, and I slumped to the ground, holding my aching head in my hands. My mind still felt fuzzy; I could hardly think. "It was an accident," I mumbled. "I swear it was an accident, I wasn't trying to kill him, I swear I wasn't--"

"A-alright." Turaga Nuju interrupted me, and I looked at him. The fear by now had almost left, and I was grateful for that. I hated seeing him scared, and knowing that _I_ was the reason for his fear only made it worse. He wasn't supposed to be afraid of me. "N-no one said you did it on purpose, Toa Kopaka, so just...just calm down, alright? I promise, nobody is blaming you for anything."

The look on his face told me otherwise. Perhaps he believed otherwise?

No. That was stupid. Turaga Nuju was my friend, the closest thing I had to a parental figure here. If anyone were to believe me about this, it would be him. I could trust him, I was sure of it.

After a moment, my heart rate began to calm down, and my breathing slowed with it. With it, my head began to clear, and I was able to think properly again. The strange anger that kept coming back to grip me was fading.

"It was an accident," I mumbled again. "I slashed Tahu today, but I swear it was an accident!"

He HAD to believe me. He just HAD to.

He sighed, sounding tired. "Like I have said twice now, nobody is trying to say it wasn't an accident, Kopaka." He only used my name without my rightful title when he was being serious or lecturing me.

But Tahu was ALWAYS called "Toa Tahu". Tahu never had anyone but other Toa call him anything but. So much respect that I was not privy to.

"TOA Kopaka," I snarled, and Turaga Nuju looked up at me, seemingly confused. But what was he confused about? Was he confused that I should want to be called by my rightful title? "That's TOA Kopaka to you--"

"Toa Kopaka," he said carefully, interrupting me for the third time, "please forgive me. But no one is saying that you were intentionally trying to hurt Toa Tahu. I just came in here to inquire as to whether or not you were feeling alright. Forgive me if I have overstepped my bounds." His voice was carefully guarded now, controlled. He was afraid of me.

Good. He should be.

...but wait, that wasn't right. He shouldn't be afraid of me; I wasn't dangerous to him! I was supposed to...to be someone he could trust, not fear. The only ones who should have been afraid of me were my enemies.

"I'm fine." I said in a quieter and, I hoped, more reassuring tone, turning away from him. I just wanted to go to bed. In the morning, things would be better. I just needed rest.

He nodded, although his voice and face were still carefully guarded. "Alright. Good night, Toa Kopaka."

He left me then, and I fell onto my bed, feeling drained. What was wrong? Why was I acting so strangely and irrationally towards the smallest triggers today? Ordinarily, it was not uncommon for me to be annoyed at something or another, but for the rage that coursed through me at all the little things today, there was no cause good enough.

Tahu had beaten me in a sparring match, and I had retaliated by trying to slice his throat open, thankfully only getting his arm. Nuju had tried to ask me what was wrong and then only said my name and not my title, and I thanked his kindness by scaring the daylights out of him.

And Gali...

_She had better not love him,_ I thought before catching myself. What did I care if she loved Tahu? It didn't matter to me. It was just one more person who had been caught by his charisma, and they made sense as a pair. Fire and Water. Team leader and the only girl. Strong and gentle. She soothed him where I only made his temper worse.

But she soothed me too. She made me feel...happy inside. Content, whatever you want to call it. I felt relaxed when she was around, something I rarely felt otherwise. And now she was afraid of me, and even more afraid I was going to try something on Tahu again. Would I ever be able to fix this?

Yes. Yes I would. Tomorrow I would go and explain to her that it was an accident and that I was not thinking clearly. She would understand. She had to. If she didn't, I would--

--do nothing and just accept it. I would have to re-earn her trust. No big deal. I would just have to be patient.

_I don't want to be fucking patient!_ something inside of me screamed, but I shook it off. Patient and composed I would be. After all, I was the Toa of Ice. Patient and composed were key components of my nature.

I smiled as I fell asleep. Yes, tomorrow would be better. I knew it would be.

X x X

**AN: Thanks to **_**Zanda Waffle 07**_** for writing a big part of the scene with Nuju for me while I was too busy chucking up to do so myself today! I'll miss you when you head back down South, bro. It's just not the same without your weirdness.**

**Yes, Kopaka seems kind of desperate and out of sorts here. But really, think about it. His whole world's turning upside down; he's not used to feeling so much anger (or emotion in general, really...) all at once. Hopefully it's alright with you people who are bothering to read this. AND KOPAKA SWEARS, OMG! The swear word isn****'****t there to annoy anybody; it****'****s there for effect only. Seriously.  
**

**Also, I normally don't pair Kopaka with anybody, but he likes Gali in this story. *shrugs* It's just one more...**_**trigger**_** for his problem in the story, although I usually prefer to have him not like anybody. He's better off single, anyway. Much more badass.**

**Review, please! And feel free to suggest anything!**


End file.
